Caltrain electrification at risk

http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/UC-has-a-front-runner-to-replace-Cal-s-10909324.php

They need federal funding to do that, and the opposition isn't really to Caltrain or electrification per se. It's mostly trying to stick it to the high-speed rail efforts, where electrification would be required for high-speed rail between San Jose and San Francisco.

Lovely. Who needs technological progress when we have dirty political laundry to wash?

In fact, let's take a step in the other direction- Mr so-called President has spoken about "clean coal" isn't it? Let's bring back the steam engines! #MakeCaltrainRunOnCoalAgain !! I was born too late to see mainline steam action, maybe now is the time for its revival :giggle:

Could you not give Trump any ideas.

Just-Thinking-51 said:

Could you not give Trump any ideas.

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The Republican House members from California are the ones who came up with the idea. They sent a letter to the new Transportation Secretary two weeks ago.

BCL said:

The Republican House members from California are the ones who came up with the idea. They sent a letter to the new Transportation Secretary two weeks ago.

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I believe that was aimed at me, for my bigly tremendous idea- #MakeCaltrainRunOnCoalAgain

Texan Eagle said:

BCL said:

The Republican House members from California are the ones who came up with the idea. They sent a letter to the new Transportation Secretary two weeks ago.

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I believe that was aimed at me, for my bigly tremendous idea- #MakeCaltrainRunOnCoalAgain

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Missed that.

Forget about coal. How about wood?

BCL said:

Missed that.

Forget about coal. How about wood?

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No wood. You are wood. Low energy. SAD!

BCL said:

Texan Eagle said:

BCL said:

The Republican House members from California are the ones who came up with the idea. They sent a letter to the new Transportation Secretary two weeks ago.

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I believe that was aimed at me, for my bigly tremendous idea- #MakeCaltrainRunOnCoalAgain

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Missed that.
Forget about coal. How about wood?

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Except Trump didn't make loud and repeated (but vague and utterly unexplained) promises to lumbermen to get their jobs back, he did so to the coal miners. :huh:

The way to go is with Donkeys and Asses IMHO LOL!

John Bredin said:

BCL said:

Texan Eagle said:

BCL said:

The Republican House members from California are the ones who came up with the idea. They sent a letter to the new Transportation Secretary two weeks ago.

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I believe that was aimed at me, for my bigly tremendous idea- #MakeCaltrainRunOnCoalAgain

Click to expand...

Missed that.
Forget about coal. How about wood?

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Except Trump didn't make loud and repeated (but vague and utterly unexplained) promises to lumbermen to get their jobs back, he did so to the coal miners. :huh:

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There's one guy so emboldened by Trump's election that he's talking about massive increases in federal timber harvests in the Pacific NW. He's kind of ignoring that timber from federal land isn't allowed to be exported as raw logs, and the capacity to process logs is fairly limited these days.

Oh, just power it with biomass and clydesdales!

Metra Electric Rider said:

Oh, just power it with biomass and clydesdales!

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Like this?

BCL said:

Metra Electric Rider said:

Oh, just power it with biomass and clydesdales!

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Like this?

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The best part is that it would provide employment for the guy who has to pick up the poop.

I hate you Wilbur

-Signed, Ed

Yeah, something like that....

But ya know what, we also forgot biodiesel!!!

Metra Electric Rider said:

I hate you Wilbur

-Signed, Ed

Yeah, something like that....

But ya know what, we also forgot biodiesel!!!

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Those horses are actually pretty calm and happy doing that. It's pretty easy duty for a draft horse to pull a trolley on rails over flat ground. They've got Belgian drafts, Percherons, and Clydesdales. They used to have a petting zoo in back, and usually one of the horses would be there.

The Disneyland Railroad did run on B98. It's not running now that they're working on Star Wars Land, but when it comes back online I expect they'll still be running on biodiesel.

I wonder what they do with all that used cooking oil now. I heard that all their waste oil wasn't even enough, and they had to buy some from a supplier.

Electric or not, CalTrain needs new motive power ASAP. One of their engines caught fire during the evening commute today: https://twitter.com/Caltrain/status/829868584092397569

I have a new idea for renewable energy.

We could grow trees. All they need is sunlight and carbon dioxide. They're pretty ecological and sustainable.

Then we could fossilize the dead trees in a process that takes millions of years.

The we could dig them out and burn them.

Hey presto, we have a method of using and storing solar energy that also keeps the mining companies happy.

I wonder why nobody thought of it before.

cirdan said:

I have a new idea for renewable energy.

We could grow trees. All they need is sunlight and carbon dioxide. They're pretty ecological and sustainable.

Then we could fossilize the dead trees in a process that takes millions of years.

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Isn't that how they make Scotch?

desertflyer said:

Electric or not, CalTrain needs new motive power ASAP. One of their engines caught fire during the evening commute today: https://twitter.com/Caltrain/status/829868584092397569

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Eh, this is nothing new. "Engine caught fire" is just one of the squares on the famous Caltrain Delay Bingo- 25 Reasons why Caltrain is Late today.

jis said:

The way to go is with Donkeys and Asses IMHO LOL!

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It's already done that way in D.C. The congressional gravy train is powered by them (although gravy trains are considered freight).

BCL said:

I wonder what they do with all that used cooking oil now. I heard that all their waste oil wasn't even enough, and they had to buy some from a supplier.

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I've heard that too - in fact, I thought I'd read somewhere that the demand for biodiesel outstrips the availability of it (kinda like the situation in Sweden where they burn trash for providing district heating - the Swedes recycle so much that there isn't enough trash and they have to import it from Germany).

LOVE Caltrain bingo!

Metra Electric Rider said:

BCL said:

I wonder what they do with all that used cooking oil now. I heard that all their waste oil wasn't even enough, and they had to buy some from a supplier.

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I've heard that too - in fact, I thought I'd read somewhere that the demand for biodiesel outstrips the availability of it (kinda like the situation in Sweden where they burn trash for providing district heating - the Swedes recycle so much that there isn't enough trash and they have to import it from Germany).

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Anything running on biodiesel should be able to run on petroleum diesel without issue. I heard that Disney actually buys taxed road diesel and not #2 fuel oil like most railroads use. Untaxed fuel is supposed to be dyed red.

I'm pretty sure incinerator heating can be done with almost any biomass.

BCL said:

I'm pretty sure incinerator heating can be done with almost any biomass.

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True, but their plants were set up for garbage with pollution controls, etc, as I understand it. And their plentiful wood is too valuable to burn (getting way off topic, but their 16th century timber shortage led to early energy efficiency -heating moves).

The first domino falls.

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/17/feds-delay-caltrain-electrification-money/